Feeler mechanism for looms



Oct. 9, 1928. 1,687,402

. A, 'E. STAFFORD FEELER MECHANI SM FOR LOOMS lNVENTORJ ATTORWEY' Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

U NI'TED.

YPIAITQE NT" oFF ica ALFRED n. STAFFORD, or HVOPEDALEQMASSACHUSETTS, VAQSSIGNORITOYDRAPER 0on- PORATION, or HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A- conroim'rron MAINE 1 v FEELER murmur Looms;

, I Applicationnled February ;This invention relates to feeler mechanisms for looms and is more particularly directed'to such mechanisms wherein the feeler, is of the side slipping type. i

The side slipping type of feeler iswell adapted for use in connection with filling wound bobbins where the feeler contacts with the bobbin and slips or slides along the bobbin surfacerwhen the filling is substantially exhausted' on a detecting beat. WVhen such form of feeler, however, is employed in connection with filling wound upon'paper cop tubes the roughness of the tube itself may prevent the feelerfrom side slipping even though the filling beisubstantially exhausted,

and this same characteristic'is present at.

times where the feel'er'is cooperating with a filling wound bobbin, owing to the fact that the bobbin surface after repeated use may become roughened' V v It has heretofore been proposed-to provide a side'slipping feeler with a shuttle feeling finger, which, when the filling is substantially exhausted, may engage the front wallof the shuttle on a detecting beat and facilitatethe side slipping movement of thevfeeler by Ion- 'gitudinal movement of I the finger along the shuttle wall. c j

Theainount of filling that remains upon the filling carrier on replenishment. constitutes waste, which, it is desirable, of course, to minimize, and in such cases, therefore,'the shuttle feelings finger has been mounted for adjustment on the feeler by a threaded connection with a lug carried by thefeeler and locked in its adjusted position by one or more I looking nuts. The head of the shuttle feeling finger is preferably of rounded character and of considerable vertical extent in order to insure proper contact with the frontwall of the shuttle when filling is substantially exhausted, but where the shuttle feeling finger has a threaded connect-ion with its support upon the feeler,'it requires substantially either a full rotation of the feeling finger or 7, 1 28. Serial i 252,472.]

amounts and consequently controlling the amount ofjw aste thatwillfremain upon the filling carrier upon replenishment. 'i

In accordance withthe present-invention,

the side slipping feeler is provided with a vertically extending standard having anune threaded aperture of larger diameter than the diameter of the threaded .shank'of :the

feeling finger and adjusting 1 nutsv 7 bearing upon the front and rear surfaces of the stand- 1 ard, whereby,.upon manipulation of the nuts the feeling; finger may be moved 'frontwardly onrearwardly minimum amounts while maintalnlng theheadfof the shuttle feeling finger in ts normal, operating position relativeto the front wall of the shuttle, c further feature of the present invention consists n means for preventing rotation of use willfrequentlyproduce more wastelthan the shuttle feeling finger on its longitudinal I axis adjustment of the feeling finger. The inventlon and novel featuresthereof willbest be made :clear vfrom the followingof'one good form thereof. i Inthe drawings:

description and the accompanying,drawings Fig. 1 is aiplan view showing aside slip; ping feeler containing the. present invention,

and part of a shuttle vcontaining fillin Fig 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of .iig. 1; 3 is an explodedview oftheside sli y ping feeler and shuttle feeling'finger show ing the parts in separated relation; s Fig. t lsan enlarged sectional view on th line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and a v c Fig. 5 .isa sidesectio'nal elevation showing the "side slipping feeler of thepresent invention in use with a cop tubefor carrying the upon the loom frame, as indicated in Fig. 2,

in the patent to Brown and Repass," No. 1,593,426, dated July 20, 1926.

The feeler stand 1 is mounted as usual' through theinstrumentality of a bracket 2, and an adjusting screw 3 may be passed through an openings in thetoppo'rtio'n 5 of the bracket so that the feeler stand may be given a general adjustmenttowards and from the front of the loom. Mounted in the feel'er stand is the feeler 6, the rear end portion 7 of which is provided with a series of teeth adapted to engage the filling on detects ing beats when a working supply is present in the shuttle, and therebyhold the side'slipping feeler from side slipping movement. The front portion 8 of the feeler is laterally eX-' tended and the end 9 of the lateral extension is adapted to engage astop 10 on the feeler stand when'the feeler is in its rearward feeling position, as indicated in Fig. 1, and a spring 11' isattached to the laterally extending arm 8 and to the rear portion of the feeler stand, normally acting to move the feeler into its rearward feeling position. Associated with' the feeler and feeler stand is atrans mitter 12 which is associated with a train of mechanism for effecting replenishment of filling when the feeler is givenits side slip pingmovements on a detecting beat. The parts so far described are substantially the same, or may be, as show'nand described in the Brown and Repass patent above men tioned. J i

The shuttle 13 is provided with'the usual holding jaws 14 to engage the rings 15 of the filling carrier which, as shownin Fig. 1', may be'formed as abobbin having the filling 16 Wound thereon. l

The fine adjustment which is rendered pos sible by the present invention may be advanageously employed in connection with cops wherein the filling is wound upon short paper cop tubes, a condition which is illustrated by Fig. 5. In either case, however, that is whether the filling be wound upon a bobbin or upon a cop tube, the present invention provides means for fine adjustment of thefeeler mechanism to the end that the amount of waste on the ejected filling. carrier, whether it be a bobbin or cop tube, will be of minimum amount. I

V Secured to and extending vertically upward from the feeler 6 by solder or welding is the standard 17 which is positioned near the tip portion of the feeler, and such'standard is provided with an aperture 18 which is unthreaded and of larger diameter than the threaded shank' 19 of the shuttle feeling fin ge'r; The shuttle feeling finger is provided with a'rounded head 20 of substantially verticalextent to present a face adapted to contact with the front wall of the shuttle when the filling "therein'has become substantially exhausted.

Atthe front and rear of the standard 17, the threaded shank 19 of the feeler finger has threaded thereto adjusting nuts 21 and 22, the construction being such that the threaded shank l9. of the shuttle feeling finger may be adjusted longitudinally by! manipulation of the adjusting nuts 21 and 22 while the shuttlefeeling finger itself is restrained from rotating movement. The effect of this is that theamount of adjustment towards and from the front of the loom which may be given to the shuttle feeling finger can be made with out rotating the shuttle feeling finger or disturbing the relation between theco'ntact ing face or head 20 and the front wall of the shuttle with which the feeling finger cooperat'es,-and such adjustment may be of very small 'or minimum amount, to the end that the amount of waste left upon the filling carrier uponreplenishment of filling will'be of mmimum amount. I

A further feature of the present invention provides means for preventing rotative movement of the shuttle feeling finger 'durlng adjustment, and, as indicated 1n the present form of the invention, the standard 17 is.

provided with a threaded 'opening'28 through which extends a'threaded pin 24-, the lower end portion 25 of'which is adapted to engage a longitudinal groove 26 formed in the threaded shank of the feeling finger, theresult being that when the adjusting nuts 21.

and 22 are manipulated for adjustment of the feeling finger, the latter will be held from rotative movement and the liead'portion 20 the aperture 18, so that when the parts are assembled, as indicated in Fig. 4, the projections 27 and 28 of the adjusting nuts will centralize the shuttle feeling finger. .If desired, the projections 27 and 28 on the adjusting nuts may be internally threaded in con tinuation of the threads on then'uts, though this may not always be necessary provided the internal diameter of the projections 27 and 28 is greater than the diameter of the shank 19/ During the weaving operation with a working supply of filling in the shuttle, thetip portion 7 of'the feeler will enter the shut-. tle through the opening 29 and contact with the filling and'then be moved frontw'ardly,

while the filling itself restrains side slipping ing has become substantially exhausted and replenishment should be called, the face of thehead 2070f thefeeling finger'will engage the front wall of the shuttle, and,in the present instance, the frontward pressure. of the shuttle upon the feeling finger will effect side slipping movementof the feeler as the head of the feeling finger travels along the front wall of the shuttle, to thereby effect replenishment of filling.

Under the action described, the feeler becomes substantially a measuring feeler, that is, it measures the diameter of the filling in the shuttle to finally permit the front Wall of i the shuttle to engage the shuttle feeling finger when it enters the shuttle sufficientlyv far owing to depletion ofthe filling. By adjustment of the shuttle feeling finger through the mechanism described it will at once be obvious that small or minimum amounts'of adjustment may be made to effect contact of the shuttle feeling finger with the shuttle without disturbing the relation of the head of the feeling finger and the shuttle wall, with the result, also, that a minimum amount of waste may be left upon the filling carrier when replenishment is effected:

V] hat is claimed is:

1. A feeler mechanism for looms having a side slipping feeler with a toothed engaging tip, in combination with a vertical standard extending from the feelernear its tip end and having an unthreaded aperture, a shuttle feeling finger having athreaded shank of less diameter than the diameter of the unthreaded aperture and provided with a rounded shuttle engaging head frontward of the toothed engaging tip adapted to be encoun-' tered by and slip laterally upon the front wall of the shuttle when the feeling tip does not make restraining contact with the filling, and adjusting nuts threaded upon the shank of the shuttle feeling finger and having center in g projections extending into the unthreadedaperture to maintain the feeling finger centered in the aperture.

2. A feeler mechanism for loomshaving a side slipping feeler with a toothed engaging tip, in combination with a vertical standard extending from the feeler near its tip and having an unthreaded aperture, a shuttle feeling finger having a threaded' shank of less diameter than the diameter 'of the unthreaded aperture and provided with a rounded shuttle engaging head frontward of the toothed engaging tip adapted to be encountered by and slip laterallyupon the front wall of the shuttle when the feeler tip does not make restraining contact with the filling, means for preventing rotative movement of the shuttle feeling finger in the ape r. ture .of the standard, and adjusting nuts in the front and rear of the standard and threaded upon the shank of the feeling finger for moving it inthe aperture of the standard while restrained'from rotative movement.

.3. A feeler mechanism for looms having a side slipping feeler, in combination with a vertical standard mounted on the feeler and having an unthreaded aperture, a shuttle feeling finger having a threaded shank of less.

diameter than-the diameter of the aperture and extending loosely therethrough, a head on the shuttle feeling finger having a shuttle engaging face, means for centering the feeler linger in the unthreaded aperture, and adjusting nuts for moving the shuttle feeling finger longitudinally through said aperture while restrained from rotative movement that the shuttle engaging face of the head may not be rotatively'displaced as the feeling finger longitudinally through said aperthreaded aperture of the standard.

4. A feeler mechanism for looms having a side slippingifeeler, in combination with a vertical standard mounted upon the feeler and having an unthreaded aperture, a shuttle feeling finger having a threaded shank ex-' tending loosely through said aperture, and provided with a longitudinal groove, means upon the standard engaging said groove to prevent rotative movement of the feeling finger, and adjusting nuts for moving the shuttle feeling finger any amount longitudinally in the unthreaded aperture of the standard while restrained from rotative movement.

5. A feeler mechanism for looms having a side slipping feeler, in combination with a vertical standard mounted upon the feeler and having an unthreaded aperture, a shuttle feeling finger having a threaded shank extending through said aperture, and adjustmg nuts provided with projections extending into the unthreaded aperture to centralize the shuttle feeling finger that the shuttle feeling finger maybe adjusted fine amounts while centralized in the standard by movement of ALFRED E. STAFFORD. 

